Better Sound Podcast 050 - Matthew Dexter

New Wave Podcast 035: DAWL

We recently caught up with Darren for the first ever written interview on New Wave. 

Q)Starting back at your roots, could you tell us a little bit about some of your earliest musical memories? Are you from Essex originally?  

A) Yes I was born in Barking then moved to Basildon in Essex when I was very young, i was an 80s kid and Hip Hop and Electro was the new big thing, I got into breakdancing and graffiti, the Street Sounds Electro series was basically the sound track for those early years. Breakdancing for me was short lived but the music and graffiti stayed with me. I suppose the first real musical experience would be when I started to go to raves my first was a big outdoor rave in Essex called Raindance(Jenkins Lane) back in 1991 I was only 16 at the time so it was quite an eye opener.

Q)Were there any people or parties you were attending in particular that helped you delve into DJing and producing?

A)Not really no, I started collecting records in 1988 and got my first set of decks when I was 14 back in 1989. This was about 2 years before I had even been to a rave or club I was always into the music more than the party scene itself, saying that though I did go to a few raves back then and they were 
amazing but I was not a big raver. I was originally influenced by the Hip Hop DJs as a young teenager, I just thought it was the coolest.

Q)You have self-released a lot of old school/hardcore sets from the 90s. Can you discuss what the sound means to you? Did you release those for purely nostalgic purposes or do you still play those kind of tracks in your sets today?

A) Nostalgia is a small part of it but the main reason is that I still love that music as much as I did back then. Basically I do those mixes for myself to listen to but I like to share them on Soundcloud for anyone that wants to have a listen. I have created two playlists 1988-1991 and 1992-1993 and I will 
keep recording more and adding to the lists. I've been collecting rave music more or less from the start of it and I have a large collection of old school records and I'm still buying to this day filling in the gaps. All the podcasts and radio appearances I have done over the last few years have been all 
new music mixes, a lot of the new stuff I play does sound like its from back in the day there’s quite a few producers out there making some great old school sounding Electro, Techno, breakbeat and Jungle I love it and I am always keeping an eye on the new releases on a daily basis to grab them as they come out, as I noticed a lot of the old school sounding stuff can sell out really quick if you sleep on it you can miss out and end up at the mercy of the scalpers on Discogs.

Q) Could you discuss how you got into production and when did you fully settle into the electro sound as a producer? How do you try be creative and make your music stand out?

A)  I started producing about ten years ago before that I had no real interest in making music really I was happy just Djing, playing and collecting records. I suppose what started it for me was when I started recording my mixes to my computer rather than tape. I started playing about with the editing tools on Goldwave and Audacity which lead to making little re edits just for fun. I later got a Mac which had Garageband built in, I had a play around with that and then I was hooked I then upgraded to Logic Pro things really took off after that. I don’t think that I try to make my music stand out, its more that I try to make the kind of music that I would want to find in a record shop, my music 
is very self indulgent I love mixing Techno and Electro with Breakbeats. I think what I make is a mixture of Techno, Electro, Acid House, Breakbeat, Hardcore with a little bit Hip Hop woven in to it and maybe Jungle at a push, I suppose its basically Freestyle.

New Wave Podcast 035: DAWL

« In Praise Of Nothing » is the debut EP of the brand new S.A.C.S 89 imprint created by Stephen & Charlou former founding members of OPAQ Records. S.A.C.S 89 stands for Society Against Conformist System and aims to defend uncompromising music. 
On this first record founders Charlou & Stephen provide 2 tracks each and 2 collaborations ranging from techno & EBM to synth-pop. An invitation to join their new system.

Bandcamp link: https://sacs89.bandcamp.com/releases
Chat noir store : http://bitly.ws/jNtx
Juno : http://bitly.ws/jNtE
And all the others …

In Praise Of Nothing EP

Episode 42 lands with the superb selection talent of octobo.

Wow'ing us with his masterclass mix on the Musty Heads channel(@mustyheadrecords), we were hugely excited to hear that he'd record one for us too. Without further or do, we send off 2021 in style with this fired up high energy proggy, trancy, techy trip like no other.

Follow octobo here:
Soundcloud: @octobo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/octobo.octobo

CommaCast 042: octobo

Zapdos - Entry №145

Type: Electric / Flying
Height: 1.6 m
Weight: 52.6 kg

A legendary bird Pokémon that is said to appear from clouds while dropping enormous lightning bolts.

Steffan (@ssstodorovic) is one half of @abdulraeva as well as the head honcho of @gestaltlabel, @coymixltd & @terrazzotrax. Massive thank you to Steffan for this stunning mix which kept us stomping our feet for 1h30m.

A huge thank you to @natt.drws for understanding exactly what we wanted and delivering this amazing artwork!

Pokédex Vol. 1 / Steffan Todorović

tim-sum w/ Dr Baird - Aaja Channel 2 - 20 05 22

https://grifferec.bandcamp.com/album/griff-fundraiser-compilation-for-ukraine

This compilation gathers familiar faces of the label Griffé surrounded by newcomers that we should find on the label in the coming months. These 11 artists from the four corners of the world meet to raise funds for the volounteer association Kyiv Angels which helps people in need on the Ukrainian territory since the Russian invasion. Electro bangers, breaks, tech-house, trance, ebm infused techno... this compilation highlights all the musical aesthetics defended by the label since its beginning.

Stigma - Ample Bastard

Two of the four hours from the Funguys debut set at Renate this past September are now available for your ear drums to enjoy 🍄

In case you didn't know, @thefunguys are a psychedelic blend of @andersonmusik and @marcomalpeso 🍄

Funguys @ Renate 9/23/22

Bero - Promo Mix 2004 (Vinyl only, my first ever recorded mix)

IDEA TRANSMISSION 001: M I C I

Serious heat incoming from a very promising Helsinki based producer that goes by the name of Jeku. He has an array of super sick releases already out on his own imprint @nontemporal that you should check the fudge out of. Keep your eyes peeled, something mega is in the works  👀

@jeku_fin

TASCAM DR-40X

HAWSMIX054 / Jeku

Founded in July 2018, Comma Traxx provides the weird and wonderful sounds of the underground dance music scene.

Label founded by @hanndmusic

Event Listing:
Cell 200, London - 5 / 4 / 2019 
Take 5 Cafe, Bristol - 26 / 7 / 2019
The Love Inn, Bristol - 8 / 11 / 2019
The Love Inn, Bristol - 17 / 1 / 2020
The Love Inn, Bristol - 06 / 11/ 2021
The Love Inn, Bristol - 19 / 03 / 2022

Vinyl // Digital // Podcasts // Events

CommaCast 042: octobo

Comma Traxx

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